Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-01-05


Twenty who Were Killed.
The first dispatches only slightly, II at ALL en-
asgerated the horrors OF the railway disaster on
the baitimore and Ohio, which occurred az Thin.
ohio, yesterday morning. The number OF killed Is
sun uncertain, and may never be certainly KNOWN
out there seems little doubt that between sixteen
ana twenty persons met dreadful death while
some accounts place the number as high as twenty.
Two. Twelve persons escaped with more or less
serious wounds
WASHINGTON PEOPLE KILLED.
Ihree OF the killed are said to have been resi-.
uenes VI " washington These are Mr. C. p Brad
iey' VINO was found hanging from the window OF
Ile smoking car, with his legs so pinned down
WITHIN that he could not be eXtricated. There he
cn aiS until ne was burned 10 death, and his
shMsa remains fell to the ground, a black and
Sasalcicss uasS He was conscious. and gave his
ADDRESS 70 the bystanders and also said Ihat he
maS an olncer OF the Knights OF Labor organiza-
on. ne gave MS watch and such other aluables as
ne could get from his pocket TO Fiercher
oi 'ne irelght train. Bradleys residence Is given
Wss L blahSe street Another passenger from
Parks PARKS, when the collision occurred conductor
haSkell, OF the passenger train Who was in the
nar,prs' , aan forward In time 10 receive their
Rapers rom some OF the injured and diving VIC.
Tins, including Parks and an old man named Bal.
iaau, from some town in New York state They
SLOWLY crushed to death. VIM. FrsdericSs ftremas5
On tne express train, who was killed was also OF
Wasningeon. His widowed mother is said 10 re-
S.Se nere. Inc only other victims or the disaster
whose names are known Were Jos Postlethwait a
LaIinef, % years or age, OF Wetzel county ~ Va
WIZ VINO Was moving his family to Chillicothe. NO..
aiu , niS Two sons, Henry, aged III, and spencer
aged IL. Pierce, the baggage master of the ey
piss whose nome was at Wheeling was burned
w @iiep' ne was married only few weeks ago.
A FAMILY DIVIDED
Postlethwait and his two sons wena sitting I'm
the same seat In the smoker and their charred re-
mains were found in the ruins OF the car. Mr..
foStlethwalt, his wife, these two bows a wear.
Old girl by former wife, a little boy OF 4 wears
a eo oaDy g1rl OF years had sold their farm of
lou acres In WetZel county, West Virginia and
were moving TO Chilcothe, Missouri near which
town Postlethwait has a brother living and where
ne hOped TO make his future home He had about
$500 In cash, check for 5000 and several notes in
his pocket, and these were burned With his body
leavlng The poor widow with three children no
money. Her husband and the two boys had left her
out a lew moments before and gone from the
coach to the smoker.
Fireman Fredertcks was caught between the ten
Ger ana engine and lived for two hours, but ft was
FOUND impossible TO effect his release He was
member OF the Brotherhood OF Firemen. That or
ganization took charge OF his remains
There were 30 passengers on the train only 20
OF whom had been accounted for at noon An un-
known irish emiGrant died after being removed
IRON the wreck +. II. Parker, OF Washington,
also persisted.
THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
The cause OF this horrible accident was as fol.
lows: At one O'Clock yesterday morning an east.
bound freight train, in charge of Conductor
Fletcher, pulled out OF Tffhn, Ohio. having re-
cefved orders to side track at the Scpo siding TO
allow the east-bound express TO pass. After the
passenger train had gone the conductor, being
without special orders, exercised his own Judg-
ment, and determined that fnaSmuch as he had
nall an hour TO make the switch at Republic a
little less than five miles distant, before the ar
rival OF the fast express from the east, due at
That point at Two O'Clock, he pulled out The
night was bitter cold, and much dinicuIty was ex-
per1tnced In keeping up steam i'm the engine
Finally, at point half mile west OF Republic
the train came to standSt1ll being unable 70
move further. Just here was made the horrible
mistake which resulted in the loss OF many lives
or property: Although the conductor must have
known that he was encroaching dangerously near
the time OF the express, he did not send out
the signal until after his train had come TO a
stand still and he found ii impossible TO move fur
ther. He then started forward with the lantern
himself. AT this point there is sharp curve, and
Conductor Fletcher had not proceeded more than
the length OF twenty cars when he saw the head
light OF the approaching express rounding the
curve not more than forty rods distant, and rum
ming at the lightning speed OF SiXty-three miles
per hour. Horror stricken with the knowledge
that fnghtful accident could not be averted he
flashed his light In the face OF the engineer Lem
Eastman. The latter at the same moment saw the
light OF the freight engine, and giving wild
Shrek OF the whistle for breaks, he reversed his
engine and Jumped for his life, crashing through
the window OF the cab, carrying glass and sash
with him, and alighted In heavy snow drift. He
escaped serious injury. As he realized the danger
he called to his fireman, William Fredericks, to
save himself. The latter was engaged In sticking
the fire, and raised up moment and hesitated To
glance forward, as II to estimate the danger This
was fatal, as at that instant the crash came, and
poor Fredericks was pinned and crushed by the
mass OF the wreck.
THE APPALLING RESULT.
The effect OF the collision can be better imagined
than described. The engines of the two trains
reared into the air like pair OF enraged living
monsters. and then settled down upon the track
driven into each other until the cylinders touched
The force OF the impact damned the baggage
cars into the tender OF the fast train the express
car into the baggage and the smoker into the ex-
press. In less than five minutes from the moment
OF the collision and before any organized effort at
rescue could be made, the fire OF the overturned
stoves communicated to the woodwork and the
with the cries OF anguish OF the imprisoned victims
to whom death in It's most terrible form was hor-
rid presence. The trainmen and uninjured passen-
gers were pOweress, and could do nothing 10 rescue
the sufferers.
A circumstance which leads to the belief that
many others persisted was related by George West
erhOuSe, OF Pembervine, wood county. He had
his way to the village TO take the morning train
for home. When near the town he met man ap-
parently insane, VINO told him OF the miShap and
exclaimed: "My wife and two children are burned
up in the wreck" The man then started on and
Mr.. WesterhouSe thought he must be out or his
mind. 1t Is more than probable that the man told
the truth. He was probably an emigrant and
the horror of his family perishing in the flames
unbalanced his mind so that he started out, not
knowing whittier he went. Some think that IL
was POSt1ethwait, who had by some means escaped.
and thinking his family gone, lost his reason.